I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m writing to tell you that you’ve left your car blinker on and it’s making that clicking noise that drives you crazy. OR you were just behind someone who made a sudden turn without an indicator such as a blinker and it made you furious, am I right?

Well guess what?!? This post is not about that type of blinker.

I’m looking for friends who live in FL, CA, CO and TX. You will want to make sure you read through this post and it’s entirety. Do you have a car sitting in your yard, garage or store parking lot that you want to get rid of? Have months flew by and no one has contacted you about their interest? I may have a pretty cool solution for you and it’s all about earning some extra cash in the process! A few weeks ago, I was introduced to a pretty cool mobile app called Blinker!

Blinker is the first ever mobile app that puts people in control of buying, selling and financing cars themselves with just the help of their smartphone. Yes, you are reading this correctly.

I bet you are wondering how this is possible?

Well, by using patented image-recognition technology, Blinkermakes everything from selling a car with a lien to getting a loan to refinancing as easy as snapping a photo. Since launching last year, Blinker has saved buyers and sellers an average of $3,000 every transaction, has serviced millions of dollars in auto loans and they won a 2017 SXSW Interactive Innovation Award. Even though this app is offered in selected cities, I can promise you they will be expanding across the US real soon!

So, are you ready to sell your car?!? Let me help you out. Simply go to goo.gl/5ELzcF and for a limited time, when you download Blinker, enter my code LIZ and list your car for sale, you’ll earn $200 when it sells.

This is definitely NO ORDINARY BLINKER and I encourage you to go in and play around with the app. You never know where your next “BLINK” might drive you to. Drop me a line and let me know if you’ve downloaded the app and what you think of it!

I’ve downloaded the cool app myself and it’s intuitive to use. Who knew that car shopping could be this easy!

Disclaimer: This sponsored post is written on behalf of Blinker! All pictures and content were provided by Blinker. All opinions are my own.

In the Tampa Bay area, nearly 200 children have died from drowning, unsafe sleep and abusive head trauma in the last five years – causes that could have been prevented, and are also a concern while traveling.

Before you hit the road with your infant, consider these five tips to make traveling with your baby safer and less stressful:

Have a crib or Pack ‘n Play prepared

Consider where you’ll be staying and make arrangements to have a crib in the room or bring a Pack ‘n Play. After you arrive, use a tight-fitting sheet to cover the crib mattress or Pack ‘n Play pad.

Infants should never be placed on an adult bed, couch or blow-up mattress, which can increase the chances of suffocation.

Educate family members on the ABCs of safe sleep. The safest way for infants to sleep is Alone on their Backs in a Crib (or Pack ‘n Play). This provides the safest sleep environment for your infant since most babies are still developing neck muscle control and are at an increased risk of suffocation.

Relatives, family friends or babysitters might help watch your infant while you’re traveling. Crying is normal and babies do it often, but this can be stressful for caregivers. Shaking an infant – even once – can be fatal, and in most cases, the individual does not mean to harm the child but lacks the knowledge or skills to cope with a stressful situation.

Take a moment to talk with your child’s caretaker about how they deal with stress. Understand how your child’s caregiver would cope with stress and look for signs that they may not be prepared, such as if they are easily angered or seem inattentive.

Keep drowning hazards out of reach

Bathtubs, dog bowls and containers that hold an inch or more of water can be dangerous to your child, because children can drown in as little as 20 seconds and often silently. Be aware of your child’s surroundings, remove any dangerous items and talk to your family and friends about keeping doors locked when visiting their house, especially doors that lead to a pool or water area.

Lack of adult supervision in and around the water leads to drowning, which is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in children ages 1 to 4. Designate a “water watcher” who will keep their eyes on children at all times and avoid distractions like texting.

Be sure to share this information with family members, babysitters and other caregivers, and keep it in mind while traveling. For more information about how to prevent the top three causes of preventable child deaths in Tampa Bay, visit PreventNeedessDeaths.com.

(The review is written by the Florida Department Children and Families and PreventNeedlessDeaths.com campaign and shared on my blog for awareness.)

I love living in FL. I love the fast paced environment, the weather and those gorgeous oceans. But every now and again, I miss home. The changing of the seasons, the Great Smoky mountains and that slow life. Two weeks ago, I was invited to check out a new grocery store in Oldsmar, FL. Little did I know, this amazing store brought more than just their one-of-a-kind shopping experience, they brought me home!

Founded in 1975 in Asheville, North Carolina, Earth Fare is the first and most authentic organic and natural healthy supermarket with 39 stores across the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Their full-service philosophy incorporates the highest food Quality Standards in the industry with compelling value, friendly and knowledgeable service, and a superior shopping experience. It’s a philosophy that makes it easy to live a healthier lifestyle, every day.

Below are a few fun facts you should know about this new grocery store taking over in Oldsmar!

43rd location; second in Tampa Bay area; seventh in Florida

Approximately 110 employees and counting

24,000 square feet; 80 cafe seats

Free Wi-Fi

3,000 charitable donation made to the Edible Peace Patch Project, to support student curriculum and a garden at a local elementary school

All water used in store, including misters, is pure and filtered through reverse osmosis

Want a chance to win a $25.00 gift card for a No Ordinary Shopping experience?
Leave me a comment below telling me what’s your favorite shopping item and I’ll choose a random comment on November 15th (using Random.org) and announce the winner here on the blog and on social media! Stay tuned.

Disclaimer: This post is written on behalf of Earth Fare! All pictures and content were provided by Earth Fare. I was able to experience the new store and a $25.00 gift card in exchange for blog and social media posts. All opinions are my own.

I love when my readers reach out with an interest to write for No Ordinary Liz. I enjoy seeing how creative they get with their posts. This month, I have the pleasure of hosting Aimee Lyons, and her blog, DIYDarlin. See what she suggests as adding unusual twists to your wedding themes!

These days, traditional weddings aren’t necessarily the norm for brides and grooms-to-be, especially younger ones. More and more people are finding that they want the option to make their wedding day as unique as their relationship, and the ideas are nearly limitless.

If you’re thinking about having an unusual wedding theme, push away those doubts. Don’t think about what your friends and family will think; it’s not their big day! Get creative and make a list of all the things you and your partner enjoy; it might be a day centered around your pets, or a holiday theme. Once you have a date set, think about the best ways to celebrate the things you love and what you’ll need to make it happen.

A literal fairytale wedding
If you’re a fan of literature, think about creating a fairytale theme for your wedding. Alice In Wonderland is a particularly festive idea; you can set up each table to look like a different area in the story, such as the Mad Hatter’s tea party, the rose garden, and the house that Alice literally grows out of. Create quirky and fun centerpieces full of wildflowers with googly eyes stuck on to imitate the animated creatures from the movie.

A holiday event
If you and your partner share a favorite holiday, consider making it the theme of your wedding day. Halloween weddings are particularly fun, as you can have a candy buffet instead of a traditional layout, or have everyone dress in costume and “trick or treat” at different candy stations set up around the reception area.

Starry-eyed nuptials
If you live in an area where the weather is nice year-round, consider having a wedding under the stars. Find a lovely outdoor venue and set the nuptials late, so that everyone can enjoy the starlight overhead. You can keep the decorations as simple as you want; let the night sky dictate your decor.

Get nerdy
If you and your loved one have a particular passion about something geeky, make it the center of your day! Video games, horror movies, a favorite book or television show…these all make a great basis for your wedding theme. Choose what you love the most and run with it.

Vintage travel
If you and your loved one are planning a romantic destination honeymoon, consider focusing your wedding day on the theme of travel. You can find some vintage, well-loved suitcases at a thrift shop that can serve as the centerpieces for your tables, or just to use as decor around the reception. Old globes, vintage postcards so the guests can write advice or just a wish they have for the happy couple, and worn maps will round out this adorable theme.

Have a destination wedding
Many couples choose to have a destination wedding in a beautiful location, such as on a beach or at the top of a cliff near the ocean. If it’s in the budget, consider having a simple ceremony with a gorgeous backdrop and let nature do most of the work.

It’s important to remember, however, that destination weddings take a lot of planning. Not only will you need to make sure the actual wedding ceremony and reception are taken care of, you’ll need to think about making sure everything back home is safe and secure. Talk to your neighbors about your trip and let them know how long you’ll be gone; set up motion-sensor lights around the perimeter of your home and consider investing in a surveillance system that will transmit a live feed to your smartphone or device. That way, you can keep an eye on things from wherever you are.

FEAR
A word that is constantly hiding around in everyone’s back pockets. FEAR of heights, FEAR of public speaking, FEAR of spiders, and FEAR of the dark. It comes in many forms and learns to camouflage itself in a way that you don’t know how to identify it until it’s too late to brace yourself for what is about to happen!

Has it been awhile since you’ve had those hair-raising moments long enough to slice anyone who stumbles in your way? Are you ready to determine if you should tackle the “Fight or Flight” approach? Do you have that sensation AKA adrenaline that rushes through your entire body that makes you feel like you’re every superhero in the Marvel club?

Well, you’re in luck! There is a new park that is lingering the Bay area. It’s guaranteed to make you flash that FEAR card the moment you step on the premises.

SCREAM-A-GEDDON voted best newcomer by USA’s Best Haunted Houses, returns for its third year starting Friday, September 22nd. SCREAM-A-GEDDON promises sinister attractions that are more interactive than ever before and will feature haunted attractions with themes that range from an infectious disease epidemic to a heinous and sinister prison riot. The attractions include Deadwoods, Bedlam 3D, Cursed Hayride, Blackpool Prison and newly redesigned Infected: Ground Zero and Monster Midway. Infected: Ground Zero will challenge guests to take a step further and become a part of the story and take on terrifying challenges to stay alive. Are you ready to tackle those FEARS?

WARNING: Please continue to read further if you DARE!

These attractions are not for the faint-hearted. It is the ONE and ONLY choice for victims who want a grisly, disturbing and thrilling sinister experience.

Bedlam could be thought of as pandemonium and anarchy, but you could also say that it’s immersion in the chaos of the unknown. The clowns and fiends that fill Bedlam 3D will terrorize you, chase you and try to consume your flesh. Experience the 3D clown house known as Bedlam 3D! With the current clown epidemic strolling the streets throughout the country, this attraction will certainly put your mind at ease!

Cursed Hayride is residents of a town cursed with immortality have wanted to die for years, but their attempts to reach the afterlife have been in vain. In order to escape their never-ending torture they must replace their soul with yours. Ride the wagon through Cursed Hayride and witness the horrifying sights and sounds of the doomed souls. But remember – they want your life, and your soul…

Infected Ground Zero Shortly after the landing of a large meteorite in a farmer’s cornfield, an unexplained phenomenon began to make the locals act… peculiar. Reports of their aggressive and irrational behavior caught the attention of authorities and a special government containment team was deployed to study, analyze and quarantine. Not long after deployment, communications were lost and the team’s fate is unknown. Try to control your terror as you weave your way through fields, military tents and the farmhouse to confront the creatures within. Will you be the next one infected?

SCREAM-A-GEDDON: 27839 Saint Joe Road, Dade City, FL 33525

Doors open on September 22nd and patiently awaiting for your unnerving arrival through November 4th. Tickets start at $19.95.

Are you ready to chase your FEARS?

For more information, be sure to follow SCREAM-A-GEDDON on social media!
On Facebook.
On Twitter.

This is no TRICK, but it is a TREAT! Want a chance to win tickets to experience this No Ordinary FEAR?
Leave me a comment below telling me WHY you’d love to have this awesome opportunity to exercise your FEAR skills, and I’ll choose TWO random comments on October 15th (using Random.org) and announce the winners here on the blog and on social media! Stay tuned.

Disclaimer: This post is written on behalf of SCREAM-A-GEDDON! All pictures and descriptions were provided by SCREAM-A-GEDDON. I was able to chase my FEARS by attending the attractions in exchange for blog and social media posts. All opinions are my own.

We all love an adventure. I know I certainly do. I can’t get enough of it.

So I just returned from my second leg of summer travels. With the celebration of America’s birthday behind me and celebrating the first few days of summer in the Great Smokies, it got me thinking. I want to do more! So I’ve decided to share with you what’s on my bucket list. It’s a big one! Continue reading “No Ordinary Bucket List”→

That is a bold statement and a question I’ve been asking myself since I was a little girl. I still remember that sunny day sitting in the back of that yellow rustic taxi cab window. The sun glistening through the trees and it’s reflection brushing my face as we stroll down that ole rugged mountain road. Every time we would pass green plants, shrubs or flowers, I was curious as to how they played a part in our world.

Can you believe it? We are here. It has taken me about two weeks to try to digest that 2017 is really here! Ummm…where did 2016 go? It seems like yesterday I was picking my jaw off the floor over Y2K. I guess the feedback my teachers used to tell back then were true. “Never wish your life away” they’d always say. But it’s true. Do you ever wake up and say, ” I wished it was summer already?” or “I wished it was 5:00pm?” GUILTY as charged. The “older” I get, the more I realize how I want those words back. If you think about it, the days & years are soaring right by us like a plane taking off. From 0-180mph. Now that’s pretty darn fast. Marjorie Pay Hinckley provides the best solution on how we should live this thing called life! “The trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead!” Continue reading “No Ordinary Resolutions”→

Like many others, I was a bit hesitant about dining at Piquant. Not just because of its location, price point, or reputation, but also because I was afraid of being able to keep up with level of the service. Yep, I was intimidated. Continue reading “REVIEW: No Ordinary Dinner”→

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Welcome!

No Ordinary Liz is unique stories about my past in foster care, my awesome present life and hope for the future. I have lived a not so ordinary life so to speak and feel that I need to share these experiences with each of you. These stories will be funny, sad, inspirational, uncomfortable and motivational. Stop by and take a look around. And don’t forget to purchase my book! http://tinyurl.com/noordinaryliz